​Dr. Susan Sarabia-Reyes, DMD, has joined the Advisory Board of the Association for Adults with Autism Philippines.

Dr. Reyes was one of 15 new medical staff who were introduced on June 24, 2017 at a medical staff meeting of the Philippine Heart Center, located in Quezon City, Metro Manila. She was the only dentist among the newly appointed medical staff. The Philippine Heart Center is a leading medical institution in Asia for the medical and surgical management of heart diseases.

Dr. Reyes was a scholar at the Centro Escolar University where she completed a dentistry degree. She took her hospital dentistry training and an MA degree majoring in Special Education at St. Martin de Porres Charity Hospital.

She was nominated and is now an active member of the Academy of Dentistry International-Philippine Section. In March of this year, she was a presenter at the 29th Annual Meeting on Special Care Dentistry held in North Carolina, USA. Dr. Reyes generously gives lectures locally and internationally regarding awareness and dental management of special needs patients (SNP), specifically autism, down syndrome, and medically compromised patients (cancer, heart disease, and others).

She is a unique professional – one of a few now working in a specialized field, deeply dedicated to serving disadvantaged members of the community, and invaluably experienced by several years of dentistry work abroad. Many of her patients have been first-timers – persons of all ages who have suffered extensive damage to their appearance as well as health because of dental neglect. Because they have received the best quality of care from Dr. Reyes, they become not only much improved in physical health but in appearance as well – able to freely “smile with a thankful heart”.

Dr. Reyes currently practices at East Avenue Medical Center where she is the only dental staff member with surgical training and expertise. She can be reached at 63-922-818-8030 and be emailed at srsarabia@yahoo.com.

Limited engagement in eye contact is commonly seen among persons with autism. It is widely considered to demonstrate the individuals’ lack of social interest and indifference – a core criterion of autism spectrum disorder.

A study from the Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging in Massachusetts suggests the cause is neurological based behavior rather than an indication of social indifference.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques to compare responses of persons with autism versus non-autistic controls to faces conveying emotions, the researchers found an uncomfortable and stressful over-stimulation experienced by the autistic persons, but not the controls, when asked to gaze at the eye –region. This differential reaction did not occur in the free-viewing condition – when gaze is not focused on the eye-region.

The authors state that – “our results show that this behavior is a way to decrease an unpleasant excessive arousal stemming from over-activation in a particular part of the brain.”

Says Nouchine Hadjikhani, an associate professor of Radiology at Medical School and the lead researcher – “forcing children with autism to look into someone’s eyes in behavioral therapy may create a lot of anxiety for them. An approach involving slow habituation to eye contact may help them overcome this overreaction and be able to handle eye contact in the long run, thereby avoiding the cascading effects that this eye-avoidance has on the development of the social brain.”

Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by shallow breathing and frequent breathing pauses during sleep. Breathing pauses can occur 30 or more times an hour, and normal breathing can start again, sometimes with a loud sound. The quality of sleep is poor, and the person will feel tired and sleepy during the day.

Sleep apnea is known to occur more frequently, up to about 50% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

It has been reported that sleep difficulties may be a cause of behavioral problems in children. Overall, children need good quality sleep for the proper development of the brain.

A common treatment for sleep apnea is adenotonsillectomy (AT) which involves the removal of the adenoids and tonsils. It is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on children. AT is usually performed on an outpatient basis. The patient goes home from the hospital the same day as his or her surgery, although overnight hospital admission is sometimes done in special circumstances such as when there is a co-occurring medical condition.

Evidence of improved attention and behaviors after AT for sleep apnea led a group of pediatric researchers in Japan to evaluate the effect of AT in children with ASD.

Measures of several behavioral indices taken at two time points, six months apart, were taken from two groups of children with autism. The study group was comprised of 30 children with autism and sleep apnea ; the comparison group comprised 24 children with autism without sleep apnea (regarded as the control group representing the natural course of the target behaviors).

Assessments using the Children’s Behavioral Checklist were made contemporaneously for the treated group and the control group before the AT treatment and six months later. The researchers found no changes over the two time points in the control group of children with autism and no sleep apnea. By contrast, in the children with autism and sleep apnea who were treated with AT, thought problems, social problems, attention problems, and aggressive behaviors were significantly decreased, suggesting an important beneficial effect of AT.

Why sleep problems occur more often in children with ASD is unclear. Some hypotheses include malfunction in the body’s 24-hour biological clock (the circadian rhythm), effects of medications taken for autism symptoms, and dysregulation of the hormone melatonin which is involved in the sleep cycle. Also hypothesized is a shared neurobiological etiology of sleep apnea and autism.

The study results suggest an important role of adequate sleep quality in the mental development of children with ASD and, relatedly, attention to and treatment of sleep difficulties in the clinical care of children with autism.

It bears noting as well that, whereas AT is the first-line choice for pediatric sleep apnea, as with any surgical intervention, it also carries some risks.

Share this:

Like this:

Deficits in motor skills deficits are a key characteristic of many developmental disorders, including intellectual disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.

A review of 19 studies on children’s and adolescents’ use of active video games, like Nintendo WII, found that these interactive games can help non-typically developing children improve critical motor skills.

In addition, these children improved their perception of their own motor competence and physical abilities after playing these games.

“These games involve moving the body during play and often mirror the naturalistic settings of the particular activity or sport, helping kids to master a particular skill in a low-pressure environment.”

Share this:

Like this:

Excerpts from a comment by Dr. Alok Patel, MD, an associate professor of clinical pediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and a critical care pediatrician at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian in New York City. Published in Medscape, June 5, 2017,

When I talk to parents of autistic children about these colorful little devices in the inpatient setting, they all report very interesting uses for them. They are aware of the safety risk and they use the toy primarily as a way to bond with their children. One father used it as a way to reward his daughter for taking her medications on time or completing certain tasks. Another mom was laughing and said that she and her daughter put them on a table, spin them, and race. They see whose spinner outlasts the other one. As long as they know exactly what they’re getting themselves into, I say do your thing.

In the end, what I tell parents is that the device is not a replacement for evidence-based occupational or behavioral therapy. Even though they are really cool and flashy, there are hidden safety risks. Those bearings are not delicious little donuts; they can get lodged in a child’s throat. Parents need to be smart about these just as with any other toy.

Share this:

Like this:

Dr. Isabelle Rapin, noted clinician, scientist, scholar, and teacher has passed away. She was gentle, warm and empathetic.She was my son’s first neurologist, referred to us through Dr. Oliver Sacks. Both are now gone. It was 1982, she told me my son Mikey had pervasive developmental disorder and treated him effectively for his seizure disorder. Discouraged me from trying out untested autism "cures", despite my insistences. She encouraged me (Lirio Covey) to prepare him for a life no longer fully in our family household when he would reach adulthood. I thank her for that advice and for her personal touch. Some years into our interactions as clinician and patient’ s mother, she ended telephone conversations calling me- my friend. May she rest in peace. .

Like this:

Prior research has suggested that administration of oxytocin, a natural hormone produced in the brain, could enhance socialization behaviors in persons with autism (see Young & Barrett, Science, Feb 20, 2015).
The article referenced below describes research findings of vast, positive effects of oxytocin, sometimes referred to as “the love hormone”, in general populations, which could underlie the beneficial effect of oxytocin in persons who experience difficulties in social interactions and relationships, such as individuals with autism.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317556.php
The oxytocin-autism relationship is of interest for a number of reasons – genetic associations between autism and oxytocin have been identified; oxytocin deficiency could be involved in autism; oxytocin receptor activity could identify those at risk of autism, and conversely, oxytocin treatment could confer improvements in socializing abilities. Although several other candidate medications have been examined (sertraline, naltrexone, etc), no conclusive evidence indicating effectiveness of those medications in treating the fundamental symptoms of autism have been observed. Oxytocin treatment could be a possible approach for alleviating difficulties in social interactions, one of the two core symptom that define autism spectrum disorder (the other is repetitive, stereotypical behaviors). Clinical trials testing this possibility are ongoing.

Share this:

Like this:

What is AAAP?

The Association for Adults with Autism, Philippines is a non-profit association, established by parents of individuals within the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and professionals dedicated to the welfare of those with this developmental disorder. More ...

A Special Place

Our flagship project,"A Special Place", is a residential community consisting of individual homes for adults with autism and facilities for work, education, therapy and recreation.

Here is where we stand in our campaign to raise P30M for the construction of "A Special Place".

Make a difference in the lives of Filipinos with autism. Donate today!

Friends of AAAP

Get Involved

Join: Fill out our membership application form here. For inquiries, you may email our membership chair, Erick Villacorte, at girlswith.autism@gmail.com.

Help: Send us an email at adultautismphil@gmail.com. Include your contact details and a short introduction, and one of our members will be in touch.

Donate: Make your deposit at any Bank of the Philippine Island branch or on-line. Account Number 0401.0099.49. A method of on-line donations will be available shortly.